Na Calan, Na Cuil, Na Meleth, Uireb
by Silraen
Summary: One year has passed since Aragorn and Arwen have become husband and wife, and both the King and Queen of Gondor take leave of their duties to be alone together on this day in which they hold so close to their hearts.


_Na Calan, Na Cuil, Na Meleth, Uireb_

_Written by Silraen and Navana_

He had been gone since the early dawn, far before the sun had risen into the heavens. Whether it was for council or for other kingly matters, there was no word. The only hint of him at all was a single blossom of white upon his pillow.

She lay abed, twirling the stem of the pale flower between her fingers, basking in the glory of the late morning sun's warming rays that filtered in through the balcony windows. With her eyes closed, she inhaled deeply, drinking in the wonders of the day. Softly, morning doves cooed to one another outside as they fluttered to and fro from tree to tree. Insects hummed, their soothing melodies drifting through the air, lulling her to an even more peaceful state of mind.

It was a rare moment indeed for Queen Undomiel, to be abed so late in the morn. If it had been any other day, she would have been already awake and about the palace; she would have been helping the women downstairs, or she would have been tending to the lush gardens, and the young, blossoming White Tree, or she would have been doing other such duties that were required of her.

But not this day. Smiling, she stretched languidly, setting the flower down upon the sheets, and then she sat fully upright, her dark locks falling about her shoulders. Her eyes roamed she and her husband's chambers for a moment, and even as they did so, her thoughts strayed to Aragorn, who was, without a doubt, in council. Why else would he not be here beside her this morning of all mornings? How she desperately wished to see him.

The hallway that stretched from their room was suddenly full of the echoing sound of a single man's steps. As they drew closer and closer, it became more and more apparent whose steps they were.

Her eyes lit with joy as she heard him, and she rested her head back against the silken pillows. She could hear him right outside their chamber doors now, and she fleetingly wondered why he was not in council. Was he, like she, able to escape his duties for this one day? Because of what this day held for the two of them?

The doors slid open to reveal the King Elessar, adorned entirely in rich, kingly robes of luxurious reds and elegant embroidery, though that was not the most radiant thing about him. Were this a day he had been in council, there would be concern, or tension, in his eyes, but nay, there was only radiant, jubilant light. _"Maar artuile, meleth nin Undomiel."_

_"Maar artulie, meleth,"_ she called softly and she held out a hand to him, smiling lovingly as he came towards her.

Even as he drew near to her, the scent of fresh, mountain air was about him. Graciously, he took her hand in his, wrapping it straight into a kiss. "Scarcely are there better morns than this, beloved."

"Indeed," she agreed, running a gentle finger down his temple, happiness swelling within her. "The creases of worry are gone," she observed in a gentle voice, "and the circles of exhaustion are absent from your face. Tell me, Estel, what have you been doing for these last few hours if you have not been in council?"

"Breathing in the dawn," he grinned widely. So many times had he said this in his stead in Lothlorien when he would leave early before the dawn to sit upon the hill of Cerin Amroth and watch the sun rise, but this was not Lothlorien.

She laughed softly, rising from the pillows. "Indeed? And has the dawn brought much joy to your already joyous heart?" she jested, pulling her knees up to her breast and she wrapped her arms around them. She tilted her face up to gaze upon him. The sun's rays beamed down upon her love, making him seemingly aglow with a golden aura. His eyes shone down into her own, glistening like jewels of crystal.

"Joy comes with the onning of this day," he smiled.

"For we know what day it is, do we not, _meleth nin?"_

"I would lie if I said nay." The light-hearted glee in his words seemed as if time itself had returned them to exactly one year ago.

"Then do not say nay," she murmured, a coquettish light in her eyes as she pulled him closer.

A coy smile turned up the corners of his lips. "Show me... I may have forgotten..."

Grinning, she kissed him, her hand sliding around to hold the back of his neck. After a moment, her lips parted from his and she asked him in a whisper, "Are you remembering now, my lord?"

"Not quite, the picture is still faded... Let me take another look..." Again he bent in, kissing her full lips.

Her eyes closed and she allowed herself to be taken by the pleasure that awashed her with peace, love, and passion. Her hand moved to cup his cheek, and she could feel herself falling backward, once more, to the pillows. She smiled against his lips.

After the brief kiss, he allowed himself to stand again. "Ah...the sight is clearer than crystal," he breathed as he kept her hand in his. "The winds from the mountains brought me from bed this dawn, Undomiel, though I hoped the flower could greet you this morn until my returning... Forgive me that it was not I, but it was only my heart that was here."

"Ah, _meleth nin,"_ she smiled, the brilliant light glistening within her blue depths. "You are forgiven unconditionally. Though," she held up one slender finger, "I do hope that tomorrow morn, you, and your heart, will be beside me?" Her tone teased him, yet it held love within its rich undertones.

At her words, all he could find himself able to do was smile with a broad, luminous glow. _"Ai, Undomiel, legaro gwedhant ind nin o sen eryd aglar, na le na hae glaur Anor... O aur enin ortherian...."_ {Ay, Undomiel, you have blinded me from the brilliance of this day, for you are more light than even the Sun... And your sunlight has conquered me.}

Her eyes glimmered, telling him all that need not be spoken aloud, and her smile was as luminous as his own. Her hand tightened around his briefly. "All memories of yesteryear are coming back to me now, Estel," she told him softly. "Shall we, as we did then, spend this day alone together?"

"If I could be so honored, yes, indeed," he grinned.

Her eyes glinted up into his as she slid her legs over the side of their bed. "You have something in mind, do you not?" she asked, sitting up.

"Please, make ready for the day," he grinned, coyly avoiding the true question. "There are a few things I must retrieve from the Great Hall."

Noting his avoidance of the question, she raised a fine brow, but she did not challenge his silence. "As it pleases my lord," she smiled, rising from the bed, coming over to him to give him a lingering kiss before disappearing behind the great, closet doors to make ready.

With a brief moment of lingering, awed in the revelry of the moment, he gazed to the door that separated them. It was as if the days had rewound for them, and he stood where he had the eve of their wedding, the same anxiousness in his heart. _This is why we won... because hatred knows no love; the greatest of all things._

After a time, Arwen stepped out from behind the elaborately-carved doors, arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of flowers, beautiful as the day. Her dark tresses flowed about her like rivulets of night, and her eyes shimmered like sapphires, full of ethereal light and boundless joy.

With all swiftness he had run from their chambers and returned soon after, bearing three things, each holding a remarkable difference from the next. One, bundled in a rich lavender cloth, laced with stitching of silver threads, he kept safely in his arms. The second, clearly one of his old satchels, was brimming with unseen stuffings and was slung over his shoulder. The final of the three was a curious metal-crafted box, held by a slender handle. The box looked to be of smithed-steel, though it was so intricately carved and pressed with the markings of their kingdom: the White Tree and the great stars. "You are ready then?"

"I am indeed," she told him, her eyes gazing curiously at the three items. "Will you not tell me where we are going, or what these are for?" she asked him as she came forward. "Or will you keep your secrets?"

A hint of glee entered his expression as he heard her words. "You will know within good time, beloved."

Smiling, she linked one of her arms through his. "And will you blindfold me as well?" she jested.

"Nay, I would do no such thing, for I would not have you pilot a course upon your faithful steed with eyes unseeing."

"Ah...so we are traveling to a place hidden...a place that is secret." Joy and excitement could be heard in her rich voice as she and her love walked from their room down the long hallway of white stone.

_Only the heavens know how truly hidden they are, though for the sake of this day, let us hope so,_ he thought to himself. "And away, swiftly, we must go, before the world forgets the day and asks to take it from us." Though this day seemed peaceful, always, of late, he had found that they scarce had time to indulge in one another's company. But he would not have this day interrupted.

"Nay...they cannot take this day from us...not this day!" she said, quickening her step.

Swiftly they went from their quarters, through the gardens, and down to the stables. Out from the City's gates they galloped with great speeds, and a soft bit of nearly unheard laughter escaped the King Elessar.

Yet it was not all unheard...for she had heard him. Smiling, Arwen softly spoke to her white stallion, and with a sudden burst of a newfound energy, her steed lept forth ahead of Aragorn. She laughed merrily, grinning as she turned her head briefly to look at him.

He was seemingly aglow as he rose in his saddle, urging his stallion onward at its fastest gait.

The brisk wind whipped at her hair and at the sleeves of her elegant raiment. So fast did they ride, now side by side once more, that they seemed to be soaring upon the wind.

In great speed, they swept across the onstretching planes and to the foot of Mindolluin. "Would you care to rest?" he asked as they slowed nearly to a walk.

She looked to him; her fair face was kissed by the wind, her hair was a flowing tangle, and her eyes were bright and radiant, glittering like gems in the bright sunlight and she asked, "It is much further? For I am not weary, unless, of course, you are in need of rest, _meleth nin."_

"It is up this rise a ways, milady." As he spoke, he looked up the mountainside, his hair, too, a windswept mess. "If you do not need it, then should we continue?"

"Indeed," she replied and gently urged her stallion after Aragorn. She gazed about her in wonder. She had lived in these lands for one year to this day, but never yet had she tired of the beauty of Gondor's sharp peaks of its mountain ranges, nor of its windswept, wide open plains that were so very different from any other place she had ever been.

Up the rise of the mountain, they went, until finally, they reached an intricately carved stone archway, clearly of their realm. "Here..." he smiled. "Come, _bereth nin Undomiel,_ and all your questions will be answered." Both Lord and Lady dismounted, leaving their mounts to graze contentedly upon the grass, and their hands joined.

Before they reached the archway, however, he stopped, his eyes falling to hers. "Close your eyes, Undomiel, and breathe. Tell me what you feel, what you smell."

She did as he bid her and drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I feel...I feel as though I am in Lorien," she said softly, and she tilted her head a bit to the side, her eyes still concealed behind her dark lashes. Again, she drew in a breath. "For I smell..." she paused, her hand tightening around his. She knew this smell. Forever had it been imprinted in her memory.

With her eyes still closed, he walked them through the archway. "What do you smell?"

"Elanor..." she told him, her voice a whisper. "And yet, how could it be so, _meleth?_ Or am I only dreaming?"

"See for yourself..."

As she opened her eyes, the brilliance of day surrounded her. All about her lay a field entirely of elanor blossoms. Beside them, a great tent stood, billowing in the wind, and, at the far edge of the clearing, a great area was walled off with stone, open to the field through a similar archway to the one they entered through.

"Estel..." she breathed, and she stepped forth into the clearing of shining gold. She laid a hand over her heart and she gazed around at the resplendent glory surrounding them. It had been many years since she had smelled this familiar...this sacred fragrance that was so dear to her heart. With grace, she knelt to pick one of the silken blooms, her trembling fingers caressing the soft petals. This flower was her link...her only link...to her past, to the years long passed that she had spent with her mother, with all her kin. How well her husband knew her...how well he knew what touched her heart...

_"Gelir edinor, vanimelda..."_ She had spoken only his name, but his heart was full of unbound joy, for he had seen the expression on her face. {Happy anniversary, fair-love...}

She rose from the sea of gold and turned, embracing him tightly. _"Gelir edinor, Estel nin... Hannon le, meleth nin...hannon le,"_ she whispered, her throat tight with emotion.

In his full embrace, he took her, content with her happiness. "You have given me everything, Arwen, all I wish I could do is give you a glimpse of what you give to me..."

She looked into his eyes, her own shining with joy and love. "You give to me more than you know, _meleth,"_ she whispered, and she brought her face closer to his, to linger inches from his, "more than you know," and their lips met.

Through and through he was wrapped in the moment. The touch of her lips to his consumed him.

Many moments passed them by, though Arwen was only aware of their hearts beating in time, and of his loving touch surrounding her in a glorious, golden light. When at last they parted, still they stood within one another's arms. "Do you remember," she asked softly, smiling, "that morn in Lorien, when you and I were walking and you found a small patch of young elanor blossoms, untouched by time?"

"Indeed." The mention of those days in Lorien brought even more warmth to his heart. "I have not forgotten a moment of it."

"Neither have I, beloved. And all of this..." she gestured to the golden flowers swaying in the pungent breeze, "brings back my memories of old. So many beautiful memories that I have made with you."

"Every moment that I have been near you since the day we met has been like walking in _Menel,"_ he spoke with unmistakable passion.

"For me, it is not only as if we have walked in _Menel,_ we _have_ done so...and we still do," she said. "And not only do we walk," she suddenly smiled wider, "we dance."

"How so?" he asked, taking her hands in his. "Like this?" he asked, stepping swiftly, as if beginning to dance.

"Indeed, beloved. Like this...and this," she replied, and laughing, she twirled about in his arms, pulling him along with her.

Again he let out a rare laugh. "Indeed! But what of the music?"

"The music of Arda...of our hearts, beating and singing as one symphony...never ending and always beautiful."

He had no words to follow hers, for he was left only reveling in their wondrous truth. Yet, slowly, he ceased to dance, and merely stood, his gaze locked upon her, unable to look astray.

She gazed right back into his crystalline depths, feeling the aura of love and peace, and wonder that surrounded them...that permeated through to their very souls.

"By the Valar...you are beautiful," he murmured. The unquenchable light that burnt within his eyes was no longer of pain, nor of fear, nor of anger. He was alight with the mightiest of all graces: love.

Smiling, she took her hand and cupped his cheek. For so many, long years had his eyes been clouded with fear and doubt, but no longer. Those emotions had been burned away and were replaced now with the light of love, hope and faith.

_"Hannon le, Undomiel._ For without you, I would not be standing here, I would not have completed this journey, and, I would not know what love truly is."

"Ah..._meleth nin..._and I thank you, for without you, I too would be lost. I will never forget the eve in which we met, when our fates met, and intertwined, unable to truly separate from the intricate pattern that they had made and still do make to this very day...in this very moment."

His eyes kept an unwavering watch on her. "One whole year, Arwen, can you believe it?"

"Nay," she smiled. "For it has gone by far too swiftly. And every moment has been blissful for me, and as we both know, moments in time that are spent in utter bliss pass us by the swiftest."

"Indeed, _vanimelda,_ they do..." he trailed off, his eyes falling elsewhere, to the great tent beside them.

Arwen's own eyes followed where his led, and she asked softly, "For how long had you been planning this, Estel?"

"Two weeks shy of a year," he grinned, truthfully admitting his scheming.

She laughed, shaking her head. "And I had not been aware of what you were planning. You keep your thoughts very concealed from me at times, _meleth nin."_

"It began here, where we stand now," he smiled, "for this place is of more importance than looks grant it."

"How so?" she asked, turning her eyes back to his.

"Over here..." he took her hand and walked swiftly across the field to the identical archway to the one they had walked through already. Past the wall and through the archway, there stood a small statue of a great tree in the center of the small, secluded clearing. "This is where the sapling of the White Tree was found."

"Then it is no such mystery why this place has such enchantment surrounding it. This place had been blessed with the seed of Numenor. Now I can see why this place has such meaning for you, and for me. It is a garden in which our two worlds meet and intertwine...and if one fades...the other one will as well. And yet as long as one springs forth in life and beauty, so shall the other."

"Indeed, and that is why we stand here today, to celebrate the intertwining of two fates, laced with hope, life, and kept tight with eternity."

"I am so blessed, Aragorn, to be with you," she whispered quietly after a moment of respectful, and peaceful, silence.

"I too am blessed, with a gift far greater than I ever imagined fate could give." It was clear that he had thought these thoughts over and over in his mind, rehearsed them through his thought, and found them all in his heart, yet he never had spoken them until now. "For it has blessed me to wake every morning in the arms of love."

She caressed his hand with her own. "Always I shall be with you in the morn, and in the night, and here, in your heart."

"I know, and you have proven it to me over and over again."

Far into the west, the sun was beginning to descend to the horizon. The sky was suddenly becoming not only indigo, but a vibrant orange and a warm yellow as well, with shades of soft magenta and violet painting its edges. And one lone star, glittering silver, began to wink brightly in the east, the only gem in the vastness of the rainbow heavens.

"Come, _meleth nin,"_ he murmured, looking again to the tent. "I have another surprise."

"Another?" she laughed quietly, but she allowed him to lead her through the golden blooms to the pavilion.

"Indeed." He lifted the white flap. "Wait but a moment..." he whispered as he slipped inside. The familiar sound of his flint stone lighting a spark rent the air, immediately followed by the complete illumination of the fading day. The light spread throughout the tent area, and within moments, it was as if the sun had found its resting-place within the elegant pavilion. Finally, he made a move towards the entrance once more. The flap slid open just enough for him to stand in the entrance, and then he swiftly shut it behind him. "Just another moment..." he spoke softly again as he did when he was either stalling for time or working diligently on something. Swiftly he ran back towards the horses, returning mere seconds later with the three things he had brought with him. "Now, _Brenil Undomiel,_ please, come inside." With those words, he lifted the tent flap back for her to enter. The spacious tent was engulfed in candlelight from nearly twenty candles, their centerpiece a small table, dressed with a great meal.

With a smile as radiant as the sunset, she stepped carefully into the pavilion. All the candles flickered cheerfully, alighting all in a fiery glow. The fragrance of the meal on the table smelled so wonderful....and she breathed in deeply. How much this reminded her of their marriage eve. So many memories of that perfect eve came rushing back to her, and her smile grew when her eyes found his. "This is marvelous, Estel!"

"I hoped you would like it," he grinned. "Please," he reached her chair, pulling it back for her. "Sit."

"I do not only like it, _meleth._ I love it," she told him as she sank gracefully to the plush chair. _"Hannon le,"_ she said as he gently pushed her closer to the table.

Beside the table, he set the three containers gently down before he too sat before the table. "I am glad."

Her eyes flickered to the three items before she looked to him in question.

From the ground beside him, he lifted the amethyst-clothed bundle, placing it on the table beside him. "I had Elladan and Elrohir bring this back for me from Rivendell..." he passed it to her across the table, inviting her to open it.

As she pulled away the red fabric, a large bundle of cloth emerged, its deep blue, silky waves spilling over the side of the table. To the touch, it was smoother than down, yet lighter than the air itself, it seemed.

"This cloak was my mother's... I wanted you to have it."

Arwen gazed at him from across the table. She knew how much Aragorn had and still did love his mother, and how it pained him always when he thought of her or spoke her name. Arwen herself had known Lady Gilraen, and she had been a woman of great integrity, of great strength. "You honor me, _meleth nin,_ with this gift. I promise you that I shall keep it forever close to my heart." She fingered the beautiful material, and she could see all of the fine, almost Elven, details and designs sewn into its loveliness.

All he could do was smile for a moment. He had been dearly attached to his mother, and with her passing he had ceased to speak of her nearly all together. Giving Arwen this cloak was something he had decided long ago, yet, had never imagined what it would be like.

_"Hannon le, Estel."_ Not wanting to dirty it in any way, she carefully folded it and laid it neatly aside, her fingers once again trailing over its softness. Then her eyes went back to his, and her smile was tender.

"You are welcome, Arwen..." he smiled again, this time, the light returning slowly. Again, he reached beside him, lifting his satchel to the table. From within it, he drew a flask, a stone, and a set of two small blocks of wood tied together tightly with string; something clearly pressed between the two. "This," he lifted the flask, "is water that I lifted from the middle of the Bay of Belfalas." He passed the small, corked brown flask to her. Though it looked meager, there was more to it.

"The Bay of Belfalas..." she murmured gazing in wonder upon the flask. "The Sundering Seas..." She was silent for a long moment as thoughts of her family and all her beloved kin ran through her mind, and yet, she did not feel saddened as she most times did when she thought of Eressea. In fact, she felt a ray of hope ignite within her. Now she had a part of them with her - a part of them that she could see and touch. When she looked back up to him, she could find no words to express what she felt. Her eyes would be her lips.

"Indeed." Between being raised by Elves and having the love of Arwen, and loving her more than life itself, he felt the significance of the Sea in his heart.

She reached across the table, seeking his hand.

Gladly he gave it to her, smiling warmly once more.

Gently, she squeezed it, her own smile answering his.

While she kept his hand, his free hand took the stone in it, grasping its smooth, round surface tightly. "This stone came from the furthest peak of the Dol Gundur, the land that your grandfather fought so strongly for."

"When were you given this?" she asked in a hushed tone, as she took the stone from him. Arwen knew well the importance and the significance of the stone to all Elves, especially to those of her own family.

"I traveled there long ago." With a wide smile, he watched her eyes soak in the stone's simple magnificence.

"It must have been so very long ago," she murmured, gazing intently at the stone's brilliance. "It is so very beautiful, Estel. This means much to me, _meleth. Hannon le."_ She looked back up to him, and her fingers gently caressed his hand.

_"Vanimelda,_ I am glad you like it." With his free hand, he untied the string that bound the two wooden blocks. Gently, he removed the top piece. Between the two wooden blocks, a single mallorn leaf was pressed. "And this." Very carefully, he lifted the lower block and the large leaf with it, giving it to her. "I brought from Golden Wood before my final leaving."

_Before my final leaving..._ Deep emotion filled her so suddenly at this simple, yet not so simple, gift. She took the leaf and cradled it in her palm, its golden color glistening in the glow of the candlelight. "How well you know me, my beloved," she whispered. "How well you know that, even though I love this land that I am now apart of and bound to, I still miss the land of Lothlorien...and that, in my heart, I shall always be bound to it, just as I am bound to Gondor."

"I too love the realm of Lothlorien, and always will, though I knew that so deeply you loved it, for it was a part of you, as Gondor is a part of me," he squeezed her hand gently.

She nodded slowly, her eyes, glistening of blue and silver, lifting back to his.

"And there is one more thing..." he smiled as he reached beside the table for the last container, the metal box. As he set it upon the table, the expected loud thud did not follow, rather, it sounded merely like an Elven-made goblet, light enough for a child to carry. The anticipation in his eyes was clear as he gave it to her.

"You dote upon me far too much, _meleth nin,"_ she told him, laughing quietly as she took it from him. As she lifted the latched lid, the overwhelming scent of roses flooded her senses. The entirety of the box was filled with the rich, vibrant crimson petals. Deep within the flourish of flower petals was a single, delicate velvet bag of solid black, spare the silver embroidery; an elaborately-made symbol of the White Tree and the seven stars; the design akin more to that of Imladris and Lorien than Gondor. Though it felt weightless in her hand, the contents were certainly there and were thick with something.

As the contents spilled into her palm, immediately she knew of what it had been wrought. The mithril chain, linked thick with a smooth elegance, spilled over her delicate fingers. In the center of all the brilliant chainwork, was a pendant, its magnificent splendor unlike any other seen in their realm. Like the fluid spin of mists, the metal spun about the central piece of an intricately etched figure of a swan, its head lifted towards the heavens with a single, glistening star above its silvery brow. Within the feathers of the swan swam six other stars, scarcely noticeable lest the eyes studied it carefully. Along the ridge of the surrounding swirls was written in the runes of the Elves: _'Na calan na cuil na meleth uireb.'_ {To light, to life, to love, eternal}

"Oh, _meleth nin,"_ she whispered, her fingers bending over the magnificent gift as she rose from the chair and went straight to him, knelt with a swirl of silk beside him, and she wrapped her arms tightly about him. "It is beautiful, Estel... Beautiful..." Her smile was radiant, resplendent with joy.

"I cannot give you all this world possesses, but I can give you this," he took her hand that held the necklace. "And this..." he pressed her hand against his heart. "Though it is already yours." Widely, he smiled, his joy unbound for the light in her eyes. "My heart has not changed in a single passing year, though, I think even the stretch of immortal time cannot outlive my love for you. As the Earth adores the sun, so I will always adore you, _vanimelda,"_ he spoke what lay within his heart.

"And as the heavens love and cannot live without the stars, so I love and cannot live without you, beloved mine. You have my heart, my very self. You have all of me, and indeed," she smiled radiantly, "you always have. And my love for you will never fade with the passing of the years. Your love kindles my heart, just like the stars kindle light within the heavens." She took one arm from around him and looked down to her palm in which the necklace lay. The shining silver of the pendant reflected in her deep blue pools, and when they lifted back to his own, they were the stars. "Will you set this about me?"

"But of course, milady," his grand smile widened further as he lifted the delicately-crafted pendant and rose from his seat.

She gathered her flowing tresses in her hands and moved them away from her neck as she too rose to her feet.

Tenderly, he wrapped the chain about her neck; the small, silver line flowing like mists over the falls. Slowly, he latched it, sealing the circle. "Ay, Undomiel, never could I have dreamed how wondrous this eve would be..." he murmured as he passed his hand over the back of her neck and let it rest on her smooth silken shoulder.

"It is perfect," she breathed, one hand coming up to hold his that lay upon his shoulder, and she leaned her head back against him, her eyes closing. "Never could I have imagined a more perfect eve than this, _meleth nin,"_ she whispered.

Though silence took him for a moment, it was not a tense silence, but more, he allowed that which spoke the truest: the musings of the heart. The moonlight passed through the thin, gauzy material that fluttered in the evening breeze.

When her eyes opened after a brief moment, she gazed about her, and seeing the moonshine that glittered through the shadows of the night, she smiled, and taking his hand, she led him out into the golden field once more. "Never have I seen such a glory," she murmured to him, for indeed, never had the moon seemed so close to the Earth itself...it seemed almost to kiss the mountain peaks with its luminance. "This night, I believe the Heavens and our Earth will become one," she whispered gently.

"They already have," he smiled coyly. "For you are here, are you not?" The love that had replaced the sorrow and uncertainty he had felt before the ending of the war glistened brighter than the most radiant star that illuminated the heavens that stretched eternally over them.

She turned her eyes from the sky to meet his gaze, and though she did not speak aloud, her eyes spoke of all. They glistened with the starlight; her face was aglow with moonlight, and her touch within his tightened slightly at his words.

A gentle hum began to escape his lips. Slowly, the familiar tune dissipated into a soft murmur of the familiar words. _"Tinuviel was dancing there to the song of a pipe unseen..."_

Smiling, she released his hand slowly, and as he sang, she began to sway to his music. Her eyes veiled themselves behind her lashes, and she lifted her face to the sky and she began to twirl. The familiar touch of the silken elanor blossoms passed beneath her feet, and her memories of old came rushing back to her. She danced as she had so long ago in Lorien. She danced as she had the time she and Aragorn had met beneath the flowering birches of Imladris.

Though his heart was captivated, Aragorn could do nothing more than continue to sing, his heart so taken by the splendor and wonder of this moment of true freedom.

Slowly, her feet ceased their swift movements, reaching him once more as he neared the ending of his song. Softly, her voice, seemingly rich with the perfume of the very flowers beneath them, rose to join in harmony with his. Arwen's gaze held his and she laid a hand over where the swan pendant lay, so very close to her heart.

_"...And yet at last they met once more, and long ago they passed away in the forest singing sorrowless..."_ Elessar's song trailed off into the depths of the night air, the magnificent wonder of how akin their story was, and he sighed for a brief second, reveling that, unlike Beren and Luthien, never would they have to be alone.

"Always have we been a part of one another," she whispered. "Your heart beats within me just as my own beats within you. It has been that way since before the eve in which I first beheld you...of this I am certain. We have truly never been apart, beloved."

"Never could I leave you..." _I would not know how... and I would not danger the thought of what would come if I did..._ As the moon's light engulfed them in splendor, the same, tender look came to him that was there when they had first met beneath the flowering eves of Imladris, when they had pledged to one another upon Cerin Amroth, and especially on their wedding day. Beyond the radiance of the moon, the light of hope overtook him, illuminating him further.

"And never shall I leave you, Estel." Smiling, she took his hand within hers, and gently holding it, she came closer to him and softly her lips met his.

_"Hannon le, vanimelda."_ Gently his hand lifted to beneath her chin, drawing her back to his lips. As they came together once more, she could feel his smile against her lips.

Arwen did not know how long they stood among the blooms of elanor, beneath the glorious moon of pearl and silver, drinking in the splendor of their depthless love about swirling like the fragrant breeze about them. When their kiss finally broke, her eyes were no longer blue, for now they seemed golden with that profound love.

As their lips parted, Aragorn found himself soaking in the world about him in marvelous silence, unwilling to disturb the brilliance of the evening, and more, the wondrous light he saw in her eyes.

Smiling, her eyes glowing like the sun itself, her gentle hold upon his hand tightened slightly and she pulled him gently with her back to the pavilion.

"I did not know, so long ago, that when I came to this road, would I have peace... yet... In your presence..." he paused for a moment before they entered, "I know only rest."

"It was so long ago when I first laid eyes upon you, and yet, I knew then that you, _meleth,_ were my destiny. You found the way to my heart. Only you. My joy is found in your presence, and my bliss is found in your arms. With you, I know only peace...only love."

"Ay, my Queen," he grinned as he offered her his arm. "Then our hearts did not lead us astray."

"Nay," she smiled, taking it. "They did not."

Joyously they passed into the tent once more, content in one another's company. "I told you once to turn away, to surrender to the pressing Twilight...yet you remained. _Hannon le, Arwen,_ for it was you that kept my faith when all else seemed to be ending about me."

"And you were, and still are, my faith in one truth," she murmured, looking lovingly into his eyes.

Smoothly, he drew her chair from the table for her, his smile gleaming still.

"Shall we dine then?" she asked, grinning as she gracefully sat.

"Indeed," he breathed as he pushed her chair in and passed then to his seat, sitting momentarily afterwards.

They dined mostly in comfortable silence, yet there were loving comments made and soft laughter following those comments that did flow into their peaceful silence after a time. When at last they poured the wine, they made a toast to one another, and both meant it fully with all their heart: _"Na calan, na cuil, na meleth, uireb,"_ they murmured softly and their glasses chimed like the tinkling of silver bells as they came together. Arwen closed her eyes as she reveled in the wine's sweet, almost velvety flavor. "This is wonderful," she told him gently, opening her eyes to gaze at him.

"And peaceful..." he added. For so long, it seemed, the weight of a kingdom had rested upon his shoulders, yet, here, he felt at peace. Alone, so close to the heavens and in the presence of his love, he felt that all weariness had washed away and was replenished with only more love for her.

"Indeed... It is still a marvel to me that we both had leave to escape our duties for this day. Did you plan for that as well?" she asked, smiling.

A familiar, joyous smirk turned at the corners of his lips. "Indeed, for I entrusted it to Faramir many days ago."

"He is a wonderful man," she told him, quivering a little from silent laughter. "Did you give him much work, _meleth nin?"_

"Nay...only to watch our fair city as he always does. All other matters will be seen to tomorrow, and it did not appear that there are many things amiss." For a long moment, he allowed his voice to trail off into the evening, realizing that his mind had turned back to the City far below. "And tomorrow need not come too soon."

She was silent for a moment, carefully watching his face...his eyes. "Nay, not too soon, beloved," she whispered, rising from her chair to stand behind him and she gently placed her hands upon his shoulders. "Not too soon."

Through her fingertips, like the burst of a star, radiance overtook him. The still of the evening allowed all other things to fade; the song of the breeze, the lingering taste of the rich meal, even the moon itself was dimmed. Only one other remained: Arwen. "This day, and all of this eve and into the morning are ours and ours alone, _vanimelda."_

She bent her head to kiss the top of his. "Indeed," she breathed, overcome with joy. "Indeed."

A gleaming flame shone from his eyes, fathomless. Tenderly, he took her hand in his, his fingers encompassing it. The fullness of all he was belonged to her, and with the same entirety alight in his gaze, he looked to her as he rose slowly to his feet and went to her side.

Memories of their marriage eve awashed her with even more joy, and she was aware that she felt the same tender anxiousness in her heart as she had felt then. Smiling, her eyes, dancing with the glow of the candlelight, gazed up into his and her other hand placed itself upon his.

Without another breath, he bent in, his lips meeting hers. Everything he was, the oceans of love for her that flowed through him, passed through the kiss that alighted all life within him.

Her eyes closed and she felt bliss take her on paths of endless light. In the kiss, she gave him her everything; all her heart, her soul, her love. She rested her hand on his chest, feeling his heart racing in time with her own...and she smiled. Always did their hearts beat as one...and she knew that this very night, they would hear the music of Arda...as it had played for them before one year passed to this very eve.

_Behold, I know life..._ his thoughts proclaimed. _For it lives in you, beloved._ Faster than the gallop of a horse did their hearts race, alive in the company of the other.

_"Meleth..."_ she breathed as their lips parted, and she lay her head against him, feeling their love surrounding them, as pungent as the golden blooms beyond their pavilion, and it seemingly rose like incense to the skies. _There is no love...like your love. And no other could give more love..._

A moment passed before he spoke, his heart nearly drunk with the love that engulfed them. "I love you, Arwen."

_"A im meleth le, Estel,"_ she whispered. "I always have...I always will."

_"Uireb, Undomiel,"_ he smiled. "Eternally is the only way my heart knows how to love you."

Her smile was radiant as she met his eyes. "And this," she murmured, taking his hand and pressing it to the shining swan pendant, "truly symbolizes what you just told me. Like the Evenstar I gave to you before, you give this to me now... Both symbols of our hearts' songs, and not everyone can see our hearts...but they saw what I had given you...they can see this," she said, her voice soft, her eyes glistening like sapphires in the night.

"I live, for your life sustains me, your love kept me focused when I felt myself sliding, and never would I have the world forget that my one salvation lies in you." His voice was rich with passion as he spoke the words that had lived only in his heart before.

She looked to him, the passion that could be heard in his voice was mirrored in her fathomless depths. "They shall not forget me nor shall they forget you," she smiled tenderly, "even if the world does pass us into legend, for I believe a child will be born in the very near future, and in that way, I shall live on, and you, my one heart, shall live on with me. And through our children and their children, and their children's children, we shall always be alive, as one."

Gently, his hand lifted and caressed her cheek. "Beating or still, my heart does not know how to let you go, and because of this, my love for you will never die."

"And I count myself blessed by the Grace of the Valar, for this promise...for you." She leaned into his caress, her face moving so she could kiss the palm of his hand.

"You lit my way to a destiny I was unsure of, yet you were sure of for me." Slowly, he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. _"Hannon le, meleth nin."_

Her smile was luminous as never, and she met is eyes. "Always, I knew that you would rise and conquer. Though I stood by your side, encouraging you, keeping our faith alive, it was you who finally became sure, and you rose like a eagle in flight to your destiny." Her eyes glimmered into his as she found his hand. "Come, beloved," she said, her voice soft, "and let us rejoice in this one truth of our intertwined destinies: that you and I, through all doubts, conquered the Shadow, and that forever shall we live on because of it."

"Forever is long, and to simply know that I love and live now is enough for me," he mused as he joyously lifted her hand in one of his and turned and rested his other hand upon her hip, beginning to dance ever so slowly. In the absence of words he hummed softly a familiar waltz.

Once more, she rested her head against him, closing her eyes as she let him guide her in their slow dance. His voice was soothing to her, and yet it held a passion to it, and her hand tightened about his, gently.

_Let tonight be the last thing I remember, and I will be content, for life will be complete..._ As he slowly, rocked them in the dance, he recalled everything that had brought them there, and he smiled. She had surrendered everything to him and nothing meant more to him than that. _Ai, Undomiel, in your arms, I surrender..._

_Right here, right now, I give my life to live again, in your arms._ She looked up to him, her eyes full of love. _Take me, my everything... I surrender all to you...in this moment..._ her gaze told him. _This night, I am yours._

Through the humming, rich in mirth, words, mused softly, escaped. "I will love you, even through death, the one gift given to Men. I will now face mortality with new eyes, for love lasts like the stars...and if I knew nothing more, then I would know we are eternal."

"Indeed we are, _meleth nin,"_ she whispered. "In mind, heart, body and soul." Then she smiled. "Tonight, Estel, there will be no pain...no hurt...for we shall live and dance in our dream. And this night...I am yours, as I always have been."

"And I am yours, and I always will be."

His song ended and the candlelight faded, but never could the flame of their love die. Through the shadows of the night and into the morning and far beyond earthly reckoning did their love burn on. Born from a promise before the coming of darkness and through the darkest of nights into the glorious dawn did their love pass, unhindered by fear, by sadness, or by doubt. Like the steady rhythm of a drum to an unending song, the beat of their hearts pumped life into the rising new Age of Men, sustained by hope and love; the strongest of all things.

_fin_

Completed on 12~6~03


End file.
